The Monster Stepper Motor Shield is an expansion module for Arduino Boards, designed to run two high-current motors individually and simultaneously. It utilizes two VNH2SP30 full-bridge Motor Drivers with high-current circuitry to drive high-power motors, which is ideal for robotics and RC vehicles requiring high torque.

This Arduino Shield is built to drive two motors simultaneously, although the circuit has been cleverly designed so that each motor can be controlled individually as well. This makes it ideal for applications like 2-wheel drive remote control vehicles, while the small form factor ensures you barely need any extra space for it. This, in addition to the simple installation and easily attainable design files and sample code, means that all you need to do is follow some basic instructions in order to enjoy the benefits of the Monster Stepper Motor Shield.

As an extra precautionary note, when using this board for high-current applications, installing a heat sink is recommended to avoid any damage to the Shield or surrounding components. However, any application up to 6A will barely cause any heat, and may simply be warm to the touch. Furthermore, while this Shield does have built-in safety features like a thermal shutdown, it’s better to invest in a small Heatsink to save yourself from any unnecessary component replacement costs.

For design files and example code, check out the “ReadMe.md” at this Github Link to get started immediately.

Technical Specifications:

Motor Drivers

– 2 x VNH2SP30 full-bridge

Operating Voltage

– 5.5V to 16V

Maximum Current Rating

– 30A

Practical Continuous Current

– 14A

MOSFET On-Resistance

– 19mΩ (per leg)

Maximum PWM frequency

– 20kHz

Additional Sensors and Safety Features

– Current Sensing Analog Pin

– Thermal Shutdown

– Undervoltage and Overvoltage Shutdown

Typical Applications for the Monster Stepper Motor Shield:

The Monster Stepper Motor Shield was designed as an upgrade of a previous model which used the L298 H-bridge stepper motor driver, and has been improved with dual VNH2SP30 full-bridge motor drivers. This has attracted many RC vehicle enthusiasts with the simultaneously, albeit individual, controlling capabilities. As such the most common projects involving this Shield include:

Building 2-wheel drive remote control vehicles, either for extreme acceleration and cornering, or for all-terrain capabilities.

Creating your own talking fish, which reacts to sound or touch by singing – With one motor controlling mouth movements and the other controlling occasional body movements.

Designing a robot that can rotate or spin on the spot – providing more manoeuvrability than standard vehicles which have a standard turning circle.

While most of the applications for this Shield do involve vehicles and robots, there are a few other applications out there as well – and perhaps some waiting to be discovered as well. So consider acquiring one of these Arduino Shields and start experimenting with the fun possibilities of a dual-drive stepper motor Shield.

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